Garment stay



June 3, 1941. w. L. MCGEE' GARMENT STAY- Filed Feb. 23, 1940 INVENTOR. 914152 00 9% 77Z /ee/ ATTORNEY Patented June 3, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQ 2,244,167 GARMENT STAY Walter L. McGee, Alameda, Calif. Application February 23, 1940, Serial No. 320,371

3 Claims. (e1. 12-115) My present invention'relates to a garmentstay, and more particularly to a stay for "soft shirts of the buttoned front type.

An object of the invention is to provide a stay for soft shirts of the buttoned front type which will not interfere with freedom of movement on the part of the user.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stay for soft shirts of the buttoned front type which is particularly suitable for use with 'a shirt over which a vest is worn.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and novel form of stay having means which will permit its convenient removal 'for laundering purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a horizontal stay for a buttoned front garment having means which'will secure the stay against total displacement from one side of the garment front when unbuttoned.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part'evident to those skilled in the art and in part pointed out as the description thereof proceeds.

Broadly, my invention comprises a stay which,

is adapted to extend transversely to the overlapping buttoned portions of the shirt front where the shirt fabric will be stretched over the chest of a wearer in a horizontal direction.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawing preferred embodi-- ments thereof.

In the drawing:

against a horizontal wrinkling thereof between the neckand waistband, the shirt front is still free to wrinkle in a vertical direction. This vertical wrinkling is also greatly accentuated where p a vest and/or suspenders are worn over the shirt.

These vertically disposed stays are also open to the objection that they often interfere with the freedom of movement of the wearer, especially when st'oop'ing or leaning over a desk. With the stay contemplated by the present invention applied to a shirt worn with suspenders and/or a vest, the stay not only prevents a ver- 'ticalwrinklin'g of the shirt, but also serves to hold the shirt front flat upon the chest and against a horizontal wrinkling without in any way interfering with the freedom of movement of the Figure 1 is a fragmentary front view showing a preferred arrangement of the invention with the outline of a vest and suspenders indicated by dot and dash lines,

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view showing the inside surface of a shirt front with the stay attached,

Figures 3 and 4 are fragmentary views of preferred forms of stays,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of the invention, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view showing a further detail contemplated by the invention.

The ordinary soft bosom shirt is open to the objection that it bulges out over the upper part of the chest and often presents an unsightly appearance. In the past, so far as I am aware, to remedy this objection others have proposed the use of stays which are arranged vertically upon the shirt front and which, in some cases, are secured to the neckband. While this form of device is effective to maintain the shirt front wearer.

As is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing, the stay, designated by the numeral I0, is shown asheld at its ends to the inside of a shirt II by means of oppositely disposed pockets [2 and 13 which are sewed or otherwise secured to the back of the chest covering portion of the shirt. Preferably the stay receiving pockets l2 and I3 are secured along'a horizontal line which extends through the center of a button at the overlapping portions of the shirt front. This disposition of the stay serves to prevent a buckling of the shirt between two buttons and provides for a more uniform tension of the shirt fabric between the stay receiving pockets l2 and [3. As is illustrated in Figure 1, the pockets l2 and 13 are preferably secured at a point upon the shirt where they will underlie the shoulder encircling portions of the vest and/or suspenders,

designated respectively by the numerals M and 15. When the stay I11 is thus positioned and secured upon a shirt, the vest and/or suspenders will cooperate with the ends thereof to bow the stay over the chest and thus hold the shirt front in smooth and close-fitting relation to the body of the wearer.

While the stay may be nothing more than a strip of metal and/or other flexible material which is merely cut to the proper length, it will be desirable, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, to provide an enlarged pocket engaging head which will protect the shirt and pockets against damage when the stay is inserted therein. In Figure 3 of the drawing, the stay H) is shown as having an enlarged end It formed by dipping into any suitable plastic or moldable composition, and in Figure 4 the stay is shown as having a superimposed metallic beading l'l, such as is commonly used upon corset stays and the like.

In Figure of the drawing there is shown a modification of the invention in which a stay, designated by the numeral I8, is of inverted Y configuration. As here shown the stay l8 has a central portion H! which extends upwardly and into engagement with a button in the collar band of the shirt and two downwardly diverging portions 20 which engage pockets 2| and 22 that are sewed to the back surface of the chest covering portion of the shirt. In this embodiment the pockets 2| and 22 are also preferably arranged along a horizontal line which passes through a securing means at the overlapping portions of the shirt front. With this embodiment of the invention it will be seen that the shirt H will be stretched along a line passing through a buttoned portion of the shirt front and diagonally between the pockets and the neckband of the shirt. 7

In view of the fact that the stay I0 is purposely made removable from the pockets l2 and l3 to permit laundering, the invention also contemplates a further improvement which will render it more conveniently usable with a shirt which is changed from day to day without laundering. This further improvement is illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawing as comprising a stay I!) having a loop 23 which may be formed of elastic or cord secured to the stay intermediate its ends Where it may be extended between the overlapping buttoned portions of the shirt H and around the securing threads of a button 24.

, When the stay I0 is provided with this further feature, it will be seen that the shirt front may be unbuttoned and opened for removal without detaching the stay ID from. the button carrying side of the shirt front and as a result when the shirt is taken off, the stay I!) will be retained thereupon where, upon redressing, the user will only be required to insert the projecting end of the sta in the pocket I3 upon the buttonhole side of the shirt front prior to buttoning the same over the button 24. Instead of the loop 23, the stay I0 may be provided with a tonguelike portion which can be extended between the overlapping portions of the shirt front to engage the button.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same can be readily understood, described and illustrated specific devices and arrangements, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and it is desired to claim it so that all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-- 1. The combination of a soft shirt of the buttoned front type, a stay receiving pocket secured at each side of the buttoned front of the shirt, said pockets being arranged along a line passing through a buttoned portion of the overlap-ping shirt front, and a transversely extending stay of flexible material extending between said pockets for holding the shirt against wrinkling along said line.

2. A stay for a shirt of the buttoned front type,comprising a stay of flexible material adapted to extend transversely of the overlapping buttoned line of the shirt and be secured at its ends to the underside of the shirt front, and a securing means intermediate the ends of said stay adapted to extend between the overlapping portions of the shirt front and engage the button securing means, whereby the stay will be held against displacement from the button carrying side of the shirt front when the shirt is unbuttoned.

3. A stay for a soft shirt of the buttoned front type, comprising a flexible member of inverted -Y configuration having means at the end of its intermediate portion adapted to engage a button at the collar band of the shirt and having means at its diverging ends adapted to be secured to the inside of the shirt in horizontal alignment with a button in the overlapping portion of the shirt front.

WALTER, L. MCGEE. 

